Comments

Episode-1844- Listener Feedback for 8-8-16 — 10 Comments

  1. I think the space treaty and needing government permission to go to the moon is funny because of this: “I’m on the moon, try to stop me from claiming my moon colony LOL what are you gonna do fly up here and arrest me?”

    • Ben Bova has written a series of SciFi novels exploring the issue of independence on the Moon. (And the independence of asteroid miners, the ethical issues with nanobots, etc.) Bova’s universe tends to be a liberal one, but if you can look past that, his books can be thought-inspiring. You can jump into the series at several points…

      The Grand Tour: Mars series… (A North American Indian finds himself on Mars in a struggle for his life. Somewhat similar to the Martian, but if I say more I’m going to give away the whole ending.)

      Mars (1992), Return to Mars (1999), Mars Life (2008).

      The Grand Tour: Moonwar series… (As I recall, the series begins as a corporate struggle for supremacy on the Moon that eventually becomes a near abandonment of the Moon, until a group of people decide to fight for their right to establish a new nation.)

      Moonrise (1996), Moonwar (1998).

      The Grand Tour: Asteroid Wars series… (Asteroid miners struggle at the margins of existence while corporate good guys and bad guys attempt to dominate men and women who are not easily dominated. I found the bad guy a little too cartoonish but tolerable.)

      The Precipice (2001), The Rock Rats (2002), The Silent War (2004), The Aftermath (2007).

      The only book I have not read is “Mars Life”. The book “Mars” is a little too touchy-feely for my tastes, but the ending is good and I’d read it again, now that I know what to expect. Characters in the series appear and disappear throughout, but one can figure out what is going on fairly easily.

      Alex Shrugged

    • You don’t really need permission to land on the moon, but you need permission to use the AIRSPACE to get there and to get clearance to launch a rocket though said airspace.

      If you were to launch from a platform say 12 miles off the coast or more, well, you could tell everyone to F themselves.

  2. Regarding Jack’s reaction to my comment that Marxism works in small groups but doesn’t scale up (and make no mistake, I’m paraphrasing Thomas Sowell)… I agree with Jack that there is no reason why one should oppose Marxism in small groups if those people are in agreement to organize themselves in that fashion. In some instances, it is the only way to go.

    Early pioneering in Israel (1909) could not have been done any other way. About 9% of Israel’s industrial and agricultural output today comes from kibbutzim (plural for kibbutz). The groups remain small enough so that everyone knows everyone else. That is key. A slacker is easily identified and corrects himself or gets voted off the island.

    FYI, not every kibbutz is Marxist, but the communal sharing of benefits and responsibilities is a common theme. No one person greater than another, etc. In small groups of like-minded people it can work, but as the groups grow, factions grow and separation at mealtime is common. (Don’t sit with the Marxists! They smell! 🙂 )

    The Founding Fathers dreamed of a government without factions, but that didn’t scale up either. Factions will form as the groups get larger.

    When the government takes something from me and gives it to some guy I’ve never met, I’m going to complain unless it is G-d (or someone I trust) doing the redistribution. No doubt many politicians believe they are up to the task of filling in for G-d, but I don’t believe it.

    Alex Shrugged

    • Just to be clear I said I am okay with it in small groups or even big ones by choice. I didn’t say it works.

      Socialism as an adjective does work as does capitalism. As systems of control both leave a lot to be desired, though socialism in the end always seems to commit the greater harms.

    • I am glad for the clarification, Jack. I apologize for misstating your position.

      I think that many types of organizations CAN work if they are small enough and everyone agrees on the goals, but as an organization grows, the goals must become more general, well-understood and agreed upon by the majority of the membership or it splits apart and heads in different directions. I’m not making a value judgement on whether splitting apart is a good or a bad thing.

      I’m being vague, but I’ve not been feeling well lately. I am working on the History segment.

      The saxophone is patented! Heavens to Barry White and Kenny G! A population explosion is at hand. 😉

  3. Great show again!

    You mentioned getting others out to the range. I just did this with one of my friends last month. He has “caught the bug” and went from neutral on guns to pro-guns.

  4. Well I forgot to say something last week, but I’m glad to hear you’re thinking about doing the Jack hacks. I always like hearing other peoples’ life hacks; even if you don’t implement them your self, they usually help you think about your own problems differently.